16 TV Anchor & Reporter
What is it Like Being a TV Anchor and Reporter
On this episode of the Unboxing Careers Podcast, Greg Zakowicz unboxes the career of a TV news anchor and reporter.
Guest: Derek Dellinger is the Sunday night anchor and weekday reporter for Queen City News in Charlotte, NC. Prior to joining Queen City News, Dellinger spent nearly seven years as a reporter and weekend anchor at WHNS-TV (FOX Carolina) in Greenville.
Connect with Derek:
Listen: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music
What We Discuss:
Derek Dellinger's Career Journey
The Life of a TV Reporter
The Path to Becoming an Anchor
The Art of Storytelling in Journalism
Finding Work-Life Balance
Balancing Work and Life in Broadcast Journalism
Dispelling Misconceptions about Broadcast Journalism
Adapting to the Changing Landscape of the Industry
The Rewards of Making a Difference in People's Lives
Key Career Takeaways:
Starting in radio can be a stepping stone to a career in television reporting and anchoring.
Reporters have a wide range of responsibilities, from pitching story ideas to gathering information and writing scripts.
Becoming an anchor often involves starting as a reporter and gradually working up to anchor positions through fill-in opportunities.
Crafting a compelling story is an essential skill for journalists, and creativity is key in presenting information in an engaging way.
Maintaining work-life balance is crucial in a demanding industry, and consciously disconnecting from work is important for mental health. Maintaining a work-life balance is crucial in broadcast journalism.
Broadcast journalists strive for fair and balanced reporting, regardless of the affiliations of the TV stations.
The industry is evolving, with a shift towards digital platforms and the need for diverse skills like video editing and podcasting.
Misconceptions about broadcast journalism include the belief that appearance is more important than substance and that journalists prioritize ratings over quality reporting.
Greg
Welcome everyone to the Unboxing Careers podcast where we shed light on what different careers are really like so you can choose a career you'll really love. Today we are unboxing the career of a TV news anchor and reporter.
But before we do, let’s talk briefly about unboxing thoughtful gifts. At ThoughtfulCollection.com you can shop from a wide selection of curated products you can feel good about, helping you express friendship, gratitude, and love.
The next time you need to, don't just gift. Gift thoughtfully at www.ThoughtfulCollection.com.
Greg
All right, I'd to welcome the show, Derek Dellinger, anchor and reporter at Queen City News in Charlotte, North Carolina. Derek, welcome to the Unboxing Careers podcast. Thank you for being here.
Derek
Thank you for having me.
Greg
So let's start with this. Tell us about your role at Queen City News, how long you've been there, or not how long you've been there, but how long you've been in the field for. And we'll just kind of go do some level setting from that standpoint.
Derek
Okay, so it's a bit of a meandering path. I started in radio when I was 16 years old, basically working at this little thousand watt AM radio station in my hometown. And just for sake of clarification here, you and I actually used to work together at that same location. And then from there, I was able to get a job in Chattanooga, Tennessee, working at a radio station there. That eventually led to a TV job doing the traffic reporting and news reporting for the ABC station in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This is all while I was still in college. so eventually graduated and about six months after I graduated I moved to Fort Myers, Florida for about two years, worked for the NBC and ABC stations there. They were owned by the same company and then worked for the Fox station in Greenville, Spartanburg, South Carolina for about seven years. And for the past five and a half, I've been here at Queen City News here in Charlotte. It's very great experience so far in my time there. I love going into work every day or at least I love working every day there because there's always an adventure, always something new that's there. And
And I'm not just saying that too because it's it's a very good family atmosphere.
Greg
Was the plan always the shift from radio and the television or was it something that just kind of naturally occurred?
Derek
Well, it eventually, it eventually occurred, I will say the, when I was younger, there was always a dream of being in television. I would also be, I was watching CNN, some of the news channels a lot when I was, when I was younger and also the local TV news channels. And I always kind of imagined myself being, I could, I could do that one of those days. I could do that one of those days. And
Radio for me was was kind of a little incidental accidental because I wanted to get over my fear public speaking and That's the main reason I actually got into radio I realized it was a little bit different from actual public speaking as you're basically speaking into a microphone, but after that I realized that hey, I could probably do television and once an opportunity came up. I took it
Greg
Excellent. I always said radio is a great way to get over public speaking because you are not talking to someone most of the time when they're looking at you. So it's a nice little bridge there. Okay. As far as your current job, your reporting, so walk us through what kind of reporting looks like. Do you have a specific beat? Do you have things assigned to you just kind of happenstance and randomly? How are, how are those things kind of figured out for you?
Derek
It is a mix of things. I do not have a specific beat, even though some reporters at the station that I work at do, and some reporters that I've worked with over time do. Some specialize in investigative reporting, some specialize in business reporting or aviation or transportation reporting. At least at my station, that's what we have. I'm more of a general assignment reporter, which basically means, hey, whatever's happening that day, whatever is of note, whatever people will be caring about that day is basically what you're gonna be covering.
It can range from good news, to bad news, it can range anything. And you have to be prepared because basically once you go in to the day, I come with stories that I will pitch. And sometimes I do get those, I get that opportunity to do those stories and I love being able to do the stories that I pitch. However, the news is a beast and you have to feed that beast. And sometimes that requires doing the big story of the day and covering breaking news or redirecting yourself to breaking news when it happens.
Greg
How do you come up with the ideas when you pitch those stories? So you just seeing something happen, like how does that whole process work?
Derek
The mantra of journalism is that you're kind of always on, you're always looking around for something. For me, it's kind of like that if you see something out there, see something, this is kind of interesting, this is kind of notable. It might be worth pitching, or at least, hey, this thing's happening nationally, is this happening in Charlotte? If it is, hey, that might be a story worth mentioning, because hey, there's something that's a national trend that is worth focusing on within your local backyard, especially if it's becoming something of note. In addition to that, it's always just paying attention to what else is out there. Sometimes you might find a weird story out there is sometimes paying attention to emails that come into the newsroom, things that actually get sent to you through social media or emails. There are a lot of ways that you can actually get that.
It's just a matter of being able to sift through it and also find what you think not only would be interesting to you, but also interesting to your managers at the end of the day, because they're the ones who will say, let's do that story, or hey, we got this going on, we need you to put you on that.
Greg
Have you ever had a story that you fought for, got turned down, you fought for it, and then they're like, all right, Derek, just go do it. Let's see what happens. And then the thing just bombs. Or does that not really happen?
Derek
I will say that there was one instance where, yes, there was. and it was a story that I fought for actually quite a bit. but, the managers decided not to do anything with this was not my current job. I should say this was a previous job and, and, and there was something that I did a lot of, a lot of work on it. They decided not to go forward with it.
However, I did still fight for it up until the time that I left for that job because there was still a lot of information there. And it just came down to logistics and also not having the full amount of information, even though that was the limit of the information that we were able to get on the story. It was, we say, not a pleasant story. It was an investigative story. It involved crime, but it was one of those situations where it did not work out even when I left.
I left an email basically saying, hey, this is still a story. We still have this interview. This is all the information you need. And I'm gonna let it go into the world and let you guys have at it. It's up to you as to what you wanna do with it.
Greg
Ever run or no to your knowledge, never did. All right. There you go, All right. So I mentioned your reporter. I also mentioned an anchor on there So I kind of want to break these down a little bit. I want to get into your day-to-day job a little bit. So you said sometimes you get randomly assigned places. You've got to be flexible and ready to go So let's start with the reporter side walk us through what a typical day or typical week looks like for you if you can?
What Does a TV Reporter Do Each Week?
Derek
A typical week for me, at least during the weekdays, I get up usually about by eight at the latest and at work at nine thirty. Nine thirty is when we have our editorial meeting. I usually know what I'm doing, whether it be something I pitch or something else by about 10 o 'clock, provided that there's no breaking news happening. And from there, I'm usually spending a good portion of my time either traveling to the location where we're going to be doing the interview or where this story is actually happening.
Sometimes it can be literally 15 minutes away. Sometimes it can be two hours away. And I really like doing stories that are two hours away because it's always the interesting little stories that happen in the small towns. That's always the interesting stories that are out there. sometimes it sometimes it's a crime story. Sometimes it's a different type of story. But you always get interesting people to talk to and have interesting perspectives. And considering that I grew up in a small town, that's kind of what I like. Anyway, back off that.
Back to the question, as far as that's concerned, once I have everything, probably around usually by 11, 11:30, I know whether or not a story is happening. If the story is happening, we're gonna be going forward with it and I'm usually working on shooting that story with a photographer, getting everything that I need to in terms of sound bites and all the materials that I need to put a story together.
I'm usually doing that between that time and about 2:30 in the afternoon. Once 2:30 in the afternoon rolls around, that's usually my deadline because I have to be, usually for this story, it's usually gonna be one or two hits within the shows that we have. there's a good chance I'm gonna be live at four, there's a chance I'm gonna be live at five, there's a chance that I'm gonna be not necessarily live at six, but possibly have to record something for six. So I have to be planning to write all of that because as a reporter, you're not just getting all of it together and having someone else write it.
You are writing it yourself. You're responsible for everything there. You're responsible for logging the sound. You're responsible for getting everything together for that story. And once you have it together, then you can start working on it. But it is a rather laborious writing process. But I do enjoy writing, so it's not necessarily much of a labor for me.
Greg
So the answer to my next question was how much do other people involved in writing and things like that? And you kind of answered that where you're just kind of the one man wrecking crew to some degree, right? And then I mentioned, well, yeah, go ahead.
Derek
To some degree, to some degrees. Yeah, to some degree, yes, I am. I mean, you'll get help from managers, you'll get help from several other people as well, but for the most part, it's a situation where you are responsible for the story that is going to be on the air that evening, and it's up to you to actually have that information.
Greg
And then I mentioned you're also an anchor. So walk us through kind of the same thing. So what shifts are you doing? How many days a week are you anchoring? And then walk us through what a typical data looks like when you are an anchor.
What is it Like Being a TV News Anchor?
Derek
Okay, so Sunday, I anchor Sunday evenings at Queen City News. And so that basically means I'm working kind of a night side ish type of shift. I usually come in about 233 o 'clock, sometimes a little bit later, depending on whether or not we actually have a show at six o 'clock in the evening. On Sunday nights, usually it's a sports night because sometimes our 6pm show will be preempted, but we more than often have a 10pm show.
And I'm from the most part when I come in, I'm responsible for helping kind of the editorial flow and direction of the show and making sure everything gets on air that needs to get on air, making sure we have the stories, making sure the scripts are written. And I do involve myself in helping write the scripts because I know my producer who's responsible for stacking that show is quite busy with several other things as well, making sure the other aspects of the show get in, making sure the information is right.
And once the information is right, helping write the show, get it, get everything together because at the end of the day, especially on Sunday nights, especially on weekends in general, especially when you're working in a newsroom on the weekends, it's a very short staff. There are only a few people who are actually responsible for putting the show together. And the more people that are responsible for putting the show together, the better off you're going to be because there are more eyes on those scripts just to make sure everything's right, make sure everything's simple, make sure things are written conversationally, and make sure everything gets on the air. And then...
Once the show starts, it's been, I usually do go in a little bit dressed like this for work, but I will change into a suit towards the, towards showtime. Put on makeup. I don't necessarily do it for beauty purposes. I actually have to do it because studio lights are on me. And as a result, I have a very shiny forehead and that actually takes away the shine. That's why men in TV do wear makeup because it's not necessarily for any beauty purposes. It's just to actually even the color out on your skin and also to prevent any glare from the studio lights that will be on you. Even if you're out in the field, if you have some lights on you, you will have a shiny head if you have any type of sweater perspiration or any oily skin. yeah.
Greg
So what's the process for becoming an anchor? So I'm assuming it's like everything else, you just kind of work your way up. As you get older and you're more established in your career, I'm sure you can jump over and go from anchor from market to market. what's the typical process — start as a reporter, you start below that, kind of work your way up from there. Well, give us like a high level overview of what that might look like.
Steps to Becoming a TV News Anchor
Derek
high level overview, I'll put it to you this way, it is very rare when someone is just starting out of the business and they start out as an anchor. There are some, I will say there's an exception to every rule there, but it's not necessarily the way the path is for the average TV reporter in this business. They usually start out as a one man band, which is basically you are your own photographer, your own editor, you're doing your own stories. Basically it's all you.
Eventually, as you move up, either within a station or within the business or within different television markets, you will have a photographer with you and you will basically have, it's basically, it's necessarily a hierarchy as far as how that works, you will have, you will start out as that one main band. will, you will essentially, once you have proven yourself, at least in that part of the job, it's basically being able to get a story together, being able to do that, you can then become just a full-fledged reporter, having that help because they realize, hey, you can be alive, you can do this, you can do that.
And it's showing, being able to show that ability to do it. When it comes to anchoring, the only real way that I actually got a chance to actually do some of it was taking those fill -in opportunities. Sometimes fill -in anchoring on the weekends, I did that at several, at the first two television stations that I worked at, and also at the third television station I worked at.
I eventually worked my way up to having a weekend anchor title at my last station. And I eventually also worked my way up here to becoming a Sunday evening anchor. After some filling anchor opportunities, you essentially have to work your way up within the station, especially if you are starting as a specific, I started as a reporter here at Queen City News back in 2018.
And so, I came to this job, it was a higher market, but I didn't necessarily want to be working weekends anymore until an opportunity came up to do it one day a week on Sundays. And I took advantage of that opportunity. But the only way I was able to do that was actually through the fill and anchor work that was either being offered to me or it was being able to show what I could do for the station. And once they realized I could do it, it's like, OK, you might be a good candidate for that job.
That's kind of how I perceive that. That's how it happened.
Greg
That's a I love how that's how I perceive it beautiful so is the long-term goal — do you want to be a full-time anchor? Do you like the reporting side of it that you always kind of want to have your hand in the dough a little bit? What's your kind of career progression that you are striving for at least?
Derek
Well, I'm kind of at a crossroads in my career because I've been doing this for 17 years now. I've been working in television for 17 years. And so a large portion of that has involved television reporting. And I do enjoy television news reporting. I do enjoy being able to do that. Now, I will say, when I got into this business, I wanted to be an anchor. I wanted to be able to do a lot of that, being at the desk, doing all that.
I realized pretty quickly though that you will get a lot more enjoyment though doing the reporting because you have an opportunity to basically craft a story and being able to do like the work shall we say that's involved with it is usually more intensive with the television news reporting aspect in comparison with the anchor aspect. Anchor aspect you're partially responsible for an entire show when it comes to television news reporting, you're responsible for this specific story. And this specific story is something that can, least in the journalistic world, kind of be a work of art. It's something that you can style how you want and kind of put it into a good perspective on what, especially if it's an impactful story, if it's a story that you care about, that can be more meaningful than being at an anchor desk every day.
And I look for those opportunities and I like having that opportunity to do that. And I take more enjoyment as a result of the reporting that I do the anchoring because it's a bit more of a rush. I will say that too. So yeah, learn something new every day.
Greg
Yeah, I'm sure the variety is always nice as well. So with telling that story, right, that's like anything else. It's a skill that you get better at. How long would you say it kind of took you when you first started working in television and doing that? Or you got to the point where like, I know how to break this down. I know how to craft the story out of this and we should start doing it.
Derek
The first two TV jobs I had, I wasn't necessarily the lead reporter in most of those circumstances. was, especially when I was working mornings in Chattanooga, you never really had an opportunity to be like the lead at six because you were usually at home getting ready for bed by then. So I was being put on stories that would basically be something that you would have to, shall we say, make interesting, make creative.
And it's not necessarily a fluffy story, but it is a story you have to get people's interest. And as a result, you have to get a little creative with that. It's not necessarily that you're making something up. You're not making something up at all. What you have are the facts. And being able to tell the facts in not only a succinct way, but also in a way that will grab the people's attention is something that is very important.
And you learn that very quickly, especially when you're not necessarily doing a lead story. That actually helps you once you actually start doing those lead stories to go about putting the story together in a rather creative way. It's not necessarily like you're not here to like put the facts. This boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Because sometimes if you watch local news, sometimes you will see the boom, boom, boom, boom, boom aspect of this is what's going on.
But you will also see the types of stories like, OK. let's start with this and let's put this into something that you can understand and this is why this is happening. Kind of like starting with maybe a minute little detail and just kind of working out that way. And that way you can be able to tell a story in a rather creative way. Even if it's a serious story, it's something that you can tell in a fashion that can get to that. But having that experience doing those fluffy stories actually worked out pretty well for me in trying to get something a little bit more creative when it comes to my overall writing process.
Greg
All right, so how would you rate the work-life balance in your field? Because you mentioned, reporter, you've got to be flexible. Do you have on-call reporters that kind of work all hours when breaking news happens? If it's your day to work, do you kind of know you're always on call until a certain time? Walk us through how you would rate work-life balance as a reporter.
What is Work life-Balance Like as a TV Reporter?
Derek
A work-life balance, especially in any journalism field, can sometimes be a unique thing. Sometimes if you are able to have a work-life balance, good for you. also at the same point though, at least for the first couple of years in this business, you kind of got to be a sponge and you kind of got to realize exactly where you're, you got to get your feet wet.
You got to be that on-call person. You got to be doing all that stuff. And even then most stations, most television stations, most journalism operations do have on-call reporters in case something catastrophic happens that needs to be covered or if someone needs to fill in a certain circumstance someone's sick. I mean, I'm still on call every now and then every few months or so on Saturdays, especially if something were to happen that I need to be called in, I need to be called in. But for the most part, if there's a work life balance in general,
You kind of have to find your own path for that because if you're going into journalism, I mean, I mentioned a little bit earlier, you kind of always have to be on. And in that sense, you do have to be ready for something to change at a moment's notice and be able to like, OK, I'm going to have to deal with this for the next little bit and do that. You have to make sure, though, that you don't get burnout in this business.
Again, first couple of years, be a sponge, but you also have to use that opportunity to figure out exactly what that work-life balance means for you. For some people, it does mean being a little bit more intensely involved in this business. For others, it means consciously disconnecting. I like using that term. It's consciously disconnecting just to make sure that you are taking a bit of a breather and that you are doing something for you that is not only healthy for you physically, but also mentally as well. Because mental health is a big thing. Cause sometimes you're going to be doing these stories, which are horrifically tragic.
I'm covering a trial this week that is horrifically tragic. The details of it are very disturbing. I won't necessarily go into the details on it, but the details on it are what would probably make you sick to your stomach. My thing about this is and this relates to work-life balance. The moment I get in my car at the end of the day, the moment I get home, it goes all out the window. I make sure to have that delineation with my life to make a point of that because if I dwelled on some of the serious stuff just a little bit too much, would probably personally affect me and I don't, I am choosing to not let it affect me because it's like once again, once I get in my car, once I get home I'm no longer thinking about it. it's again, the conscious disconnection, it kind of helps, especially at the end of the day, especially if you're doing a heavy story.
Greg
How long did it take you to figure out that you need that disconnection and then not only figure it out, but actually put in the self-discipline or practice of being like, okay, I'm in my car, it's done.
Derek
Early on, when I was starting on television, I kind of got a sense that I needed to do it because there were some days that just felt like it didn't end. Because especially as you're starting out, especially when you are still that sponge, it's kind of like, okay, when's the end of this day going to be coming? But once you get past that stage, then you're no longer feeling like that's that's going to be at the end of the day. It for me,
I remember one specific story that I did, which was a very tragic story. it kind of got to a point where it was tragic thing after tragic thing after tragic thing involving the story. And I got to a point where I'm just like, you know what? I'm just going to pass this on to someone else. I'm not going to do this story because the details of it were just so not pleasant that I was like, you know what, this is going to not necessarily be good for me, so I'm just going to pass this along to someone else. I did. I had that opportunity to, I was able to.
And actually the next day, I did a story on the mental health aspects of responding to a scene like that, because it was a crime story. And I was able to talk with a coroner of all people who actually had responded to that scene. And I made a point of asking her, it's like, how do you deal with stories like this or things like this, events like this, situations like this.
And she made a point of saying, it's like, she didn't necessarily say the words conscious disconnection, but she did make a point of saying like, hey, it's like, I have to think about what's at home and those are my grand kids. I have to think about what I'm going home to and I don't necessarily want to expose them to that. I leave it at work. I leave it at work. And I'm like, that is a good way of thinking about it because you want to be a well-rounded person. You don't want to be traumatized. You don't necessarily want to be so into everything that you get burnt out. You have to have that sense of humanity about you.
And once you have that sense of humanity, that can take you quite far in this business because the more you are yourself and the more you acknowledge those parts of yourself, the better off you are.
Greg
Good on you for asking the person. I think it's the perfect person to ask, right? Cause they're dealing with this stuff. I would say like, so it's good to know going in. I want to shift a little bit there if we can give some kind of advice for younger kids here. So if the advice for high school and college students are the same, perfect. If not, let's kind of tackle those maybe, you know, in high school. So under the age of 18, you mentioned you started working in radio when you were in high school.
I think the size of town or city probably dictates that a little bit favors or less favorable one way or the other. What advice might you offer to people in high school for getting their feet wet or getting a sense of whether they might like this or hey we know we want to do this. These are the things that are really going to help you down the road.
Derek
I will say that one of the main reasons I got that initial job in radio in my hometown was because I did a job shadowing experience probably I think it was just several months before that. And it was with those same bosses or that that wound up hiring me at that station. And they they had heard my voice and granted I was at a point where I was still afraid to talk in front of audiences.
So as a result, I was just powering through it as literally as fast as I could. And I give them a lot of grace for that. But it was a job shadowing experience that essentially got my foot in the door at that radio station. And that allowed me to basically get my feet wet to eventually get that job. heck, I started out board-oping Braves games and races and everything to that nature, like the local broadcasts of those, as well as the high school football and basketball games.
Those opportunities I still value to this day. And but it's getting those chances to get that job shadowing experience in. It helped me tremendously. And if you can do that in high school, we see people doing job shadowing. We see kids doing job shadowing all the time that actually write our radio at our TV station here in Charlotte. And this is like, hey, you can get your feet wet, not only to figure out exactly what you want to do here, but it doesn't necessarily have to be TV news reporting. It can be TV news. You can be a producer. You can work your way up to management. Granted, you probably have to start pretty low, but you can work your way up to management. You can do sales, which involves a lot of marketing and a little bit of public relations work. You can do creative services, which involves graphic design.
There's engineering, there's a lot of things that even if it's not TV news reporting is not necessarily the thing for you. There are different jobs in the newsroom, camera person. So also another good example. If you want to do TV production, you can be a director. There's a lot of things there that you can do, even if TV news or the idea of being on television is something that scares you. But take advantage of those job shadowing opportunities while you can in high school. Just get a sense of whether or not you think it will be for you.
As far as college is concerned. I do have to stress here.
Greg
Can I interrupt you real quick? So you mentioned you have a lot of shadowing even now at the station. Are those typically set up through the school or through someone at the school or is that someone who is just calling the station being like, hey, I'm a high school student, let's do a job shadow one day.
Can High School Students Shadow TV Reporters?
Derek
You'd be surprised how often we get those emails actually. So yeah, it's usually organized. It's sometimes through schools. Schools actually will offer tours of the TV station. We'll give them tours. But for the most part, if someone wants to do some job shadowing, they will reach out directly to a person.
We have a lot of people who want to be a meteorologist, be a weather person. And those are the primary source of our job shadowers, the ones that want to come in. They usually reach out directly to the weather department and something's organized and I think there has to be some clearance through some of our human resources people. But other than that, it's just, hey, yeah, come on in and take a look at everything and just see if this is for you.
Greg
Perfect, thank you for that. All right, so go on with the college.
Advice for College Students Interested in Broadcast Journalism
Derek
Yes, no problem. far as, okay, so college, college. Okay, so my, I will say my experience was rather unique because most of what I was doing professionally was what I basically went to college for. I have a degree in communications. So, you don't necessarily have to have a degree in communications to do this. It helps to take a couple of communications courses, but there are people who have Spanish degrees, English, history degrees, political science degrees, philosophy degrees that are in this business and have done rather successfully.
Heck, there are people here that are not even college graduates who have done successfully. However, those are usually the exceptions, not the roles. When it comes to college classes, well, college internships are valuable and most TV stations will still do those these days. Some networks actually even offer those opportunities as well.
But when it comes to college courses and classes, it comes down to it. Most of what you're going to be doing, especially if you're going to be in a TV newsroom, unless it is something more centered towards a photographic angle, you're going to be doing a lot of writing. And that writing would involve, and my minor is in English writing. And so most of what I do, and this kind of goes more towards that creative writing aspect of the things that I've kind of done over the years, in which those classes did help being able to formulate a story with the help of that creative writing experience that I did have.
And that's something that you probably want to take away from. But yeah, take some communications courses if you want to do this. And you also have to realize too that the news business, TV news business and the news business itself is changing because everything is going digital these days as well. And so the more you know about how to do video editing, the more you know how to do podcasts, the more you know how to do various other aspects of this business,
It's going to help you out in the long run because of the changing nature of the business as well. And then you can have those talents and it will make you more valuable at the end.
Greg
That's awesome. Okay, so they graduate college. They're trying to get that first job now. So what are some tips to hopefully land that first job? kind of a side to that is if you say Charlotte, right, it's a major metropolitan market. If you're in a bigger market and you're trying to get a job, there might be more jobs available, but the competition's higher. Does it make sense to pickup and move to a smaller town and try to get in there, or is that just kind of overthinking at that point?
Derek
It's important to note that this business is very transient. so broadcasting in general is a transient business. So basically means you might have to move to that small town to figure out exactly, or the small city at least. You might have to move to a place like, a good example here, Columbia, South Carolina, which is just about 90 miles south. is, shall we say, several markets below where Charlotte is.
But we have seen people come from there to here. And if you want to eventually, if you want to stay around home or if you want to stay around a market where you want to work, this is actually not a bad idea because it helps to work in an adjacent market to someplace where you want to go to.
And some of those adjacent markets are sometimes pretty small. Chattanooga, for example, was adjacent to the Greenville Spartanburg market. And I was able to eventually I actually did get a callback before I got the for Myers job to to actually work at the station that I eventually went up working at a couple of years later. That's another thing, too. It's like this business is incredibly small and opportunity just because you might not get one opportunity. You might get another opportunity a little bit later.
But it's important to like, kind of figure out exactly where you want to be, but just be aware that some people, hey, they're in the middle of rural Minnesota sometimes doing stories, and they eventually work their way up to network. And you kind of have to have a realistic idea as to what you want to do. Sometimes it might involve working for a network. And some people do still have that feeling, that fire to do that. Some people don't. For me, I'm personally, I like local news and I prefer to stick with it if I can.
Greg
Very good. And back to the original question, which I just glad stowaway and gave you a second question. So terrible skills on my part. How about tips for some of those first time job seekers?
Tips for Landing a TV Reporter Job
Derek
As far as the tips for those first time job seekers, make sure you have a good reel. Make sure it shows exactly what you are doing. Make sure it shows what you can do. Make sure it shows what there is that's special about you. Make sure it shows off a little bit of your personality, but also make sure that it shows how serious you are about this job.
And it's especially important to realize maybe in your first job, you're probably still trying to figure out exactly who you are and basically what your personality is, especially for this business. And even though I will say personality isn't everything in this business, you don't want to, I'll put it to you this way, you don't want the look to get in the way of the job. You don't necessarily want to come across as stale. You don't necessarily want to come across as someone who's not credible or is very nervous.
And so the more you can get that out of your system and do that trial and error in those smaller markets, the better off you're going to be because that way, once you get up to those higher markets, you won't be making those mistakes anymore.
Greg
Excellent. How about misconceptions, Derek? What are some misconceptions about broadcast journalism?
Misconceptions of Broadcast Journalism and TV News Careers
Derek
So it's important to note because there are, especially when it comes to local news, local news is probably one of the last bastions of places where you will get fair and balanced news by definition. There is a big perception, and this is sometimes tied to the affiliations of the TV stations, that some are seen as more liberal, some are seen as more conservative. And those are the views of the national networks.
Those views of the national networks can sometimes rub off on the local TV stations. Those local TV stations, they don't have a bone in that game when it comes to national news. They are interested in covering the story in its most fair and balanced and pure form and telling people what exactly is going on. There's also something to journalism in general of being able to present both sides.
Yeah, it's worth presenting both sides, but you also have to be truthful with your audience as well. cannot necessarily, I mean, just because someone says the sky might be red instead of blue doesn't necessarily mean you need to talk to that person, especially if the sky is blue. And especially if you can show that the sky is blue. There's also a perception that broadcast journalists, especially those in television, are going after ratings. No.
No, I can tell you that right now. we just, ratings are kind of the last thing on our mind when we're doing stories. Granted, if it gets views, it gets views. We're totally okay with that, but we're more interested in doing the most substantive journalism possible. And I kind of find it offensive when people say we're just doing something for ratings. We're not, we're doing something because we have legitimate questions. We want to answer these questions because we feel like the public in general has those questions as well.
There's also the perception too about the style of television news as well. And this will probably be the last thing, because there are misconceptions, but one of the big primary ones is style, because it's like all the people on TV are beautiful and everything to that nature, or you have to look a certain way to be on television. No, you don't. And I mean, I've known people with disabilities serve as reporters on television. I know people who have honestly, I don't consider myself the best looking person on the face of the earth. I'm overweight and in my forties. So they should tell you something as far as, far as, far as like, Hey, it's like, can look average and be in this business, or you might not necessarily have the highest opinion of your looks and still succeed in this business.
It comes down to your work ethic and just, and it also goes to show like, Hey, if you are a genuine person, like on camera, it will come across and that will lead to your likeability that will lead to a relatability which the audience no matter what form you're actually doing will keep an eye on.
Greg
You're good looking guy there, you're selling yourself short there.
Derek
It took a long time, but even then it's like ever since I hit 30, metabolism went down.
Greg
How about something in the industry you wish you knew a little bit sooner?
Derek
The work-life balance. Yeah. yeah, the, and again, it's important to be that sponge for those first couple of years, but it's also being able to have that work -life balance and being able to, being able to be a more well -rounded person will make you a better broadcast journalist and it will make you better journalists, make you a better person.
And, because again, it goes to the whole fact of if you're always on, what the heck else are you seeing other than that? And you need to be able to see what's exactly outside that to actually see the real world for what it is.
Greg
Amazing, and what would you say is the most rewarding part of your career?
Most Rewarding Part of a Career in TV News
Derek
Personally, learning something new every day. And being able to, I still feel like local news can make a difference in people's And in those moments when I've been able to, and been able to show like, hey, we can do something here to help either a person or the people that are living in a neighborhood, and being able to show that difference that can be made through this job. That's something I value probably a whole heck of a lot. And it's something that still keeps me going because you're able to do something that people will care about. And it might not necessarily be the person that might be watching the story, but the person that you talk to. They will notice it. They will care about it. And they will trust you in the future for it. And it will, especially if you do and if you are do right by them if you are fair by them you can get that opportunity to speak with them again in the future and they will, believe it or not.
It actually might help out with the stories that might not necessarily involve them in the future but that's one of the things that I kind of value about it is being able to make a difference in people's lives and being able to like Learn something new and meet meet someone new every day usually
Greg
Yeah, it's lovely. Thanks for sharing. What did I I'm terrible at this. What did I neglect to ask you that is important for people to know?
How is Broadcast Journalism Changing?
Derek
Let's see. What people need to know about this business.
It is changing. The business is changing. one thing that we are aware of is the fact that linear television, which is basically the normal way many people have watched television for decades, it's kind of given away to streaming and things that are more, shall we say, digitally focused. And might be focused on TikTok. It might be focused on various other forms of social media as well, because that is where the younger eyeballs are going.
And I think everyone in the news business in various ways, shapes and forms, whether it be print journalism, broadcast journalism, any type of other type of journalism, they know that is where it is heading. And this is not to dissuade anybody from doing that because that is likely where journalism is headed towards the future. But having those experiences, having those experiences of the technical aspects of the job will help you with that digital experience.
If you know video editing, you're gonna be good. If you know how to do, if you know the proper journalism ideals, you're gonna be pretty well set, especially if you decide to take a different route for journalism. And for some people that might mean social media, might mean something different that comes down the line. That might mean doing something more digitally centered as far as the news articles that might be printed up on a website, various news websites these days. Sometimes it's not only on social media, it's on a website and some of these news organizations do make a whole lot of money from just being online only.
And don't let that dissuade you. meaning, it doesn't necessarily mean you won't necessarily be on camera, but it will mean that your content will be seen in various ways, shapes and forms by different people. And it will also give you an opportunity to do different types of storytelling, whether it be video, whether it be print, whether it be my podcast. And podcast is something that I would also like to eventually kind of dip my foot into because it's one of those things where it's just like, it's like, you'd be able to tell a story with the audio, just the audio, instead of, but the natural sound of a piece of things that I do. I only get a chance to do a little bit of that in TV.
So being able to do that in a full audio form for like a, it's like a radio production. And I would like to be able to eventually do that, not necessarily full time, but just have an opportunity, just like doing once or twice. I've never had the opportunity to do it, but I'd want to take that opportunity. But if you can expand your horizons exactly, even if it's not, again, not being on camera, you might do well for the future of this business, because this future of the business is kind of...
I will say it's a little limitless right now because of the different forms it's taking because, some apps or some TV networks are on apps now, some various other like podcast groups, they are looking for journalism type of, and that will involve a lot of radio production type elements. So you kind of got to have your hand in kind of a little bit of everything at the end of the day.
Greg
Very good advice. That's the fun part of it though, right? You learn new skills as you mentioned. So, all right, Derek, if you can't do broadcast anymore, what career are you going to choose and why?
Derek
I've thought about this over the years and, and I actually thought about being a teacher if I wasn't going to be doing this anymore. And, would it be, would it be a communications teacher? Possibly. But a TV production teacher? Possibly. But I would actually, I had good experiences when I was in high school with English teachers, English teachers were able to figure out pretty quickly that I apparently had a natural inclination for writing, which kind of helped eventually kind of the course of the rest of my career.
But I had a natural inclination towards writing. And if anything, I would probably be an English teacher, to be honest with you. I mean, that seems to be like the most substantive one that I would probably go for if I was gonna do it because of those experiences that I had when I was younger.
Greg
So good assumption, high school level.
Derek
Yeah, high school level, yeah. Yeah, because elementary and middle school English, meh. But high school, yes, yes. Because it was being able to teach people like the creative writing process, and also just being able to have them explore what they can do with writing. Because that is something that can be valuable.
Greg
Amazing. Derek, if anyone has any questions for you and wants to reach out, what's a good way for them to get a hold of you?
Derek
Okay, so Twitter and Instagram at Derek D -E -R -E -K -D -L -N -G -R. You can also look up my name, Derek Dellinger, D -E -L -L -I -N -G -E -R. That's my last thing, that's how you spell it. And I have a professional page on Facebook, but the best way to probably get with me is on Instagram and Twitter, or X, as it's called these days.
Greg
Perfect, and we'll link those in, there you go. It'll never be X, no one will do it. It's even tough to type. Everyone does. All right, so we'll link that in the show description, so if anyone needs to find that information, we'll have it there.
Derek Dellinger, everyone,
I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I hope everyone enjoyed today's episode If you'd like to unbox your career with us, we'd love to have you Please visit the website to find out more, and until next time, be kind of one.
(Interview transcription provided by Riverside.fm. May not be 100% accurate.)
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